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Fact of the Day - BLUE-EYED PEOPLE Did you know.... Eyes are said to be the windows to the soul, but they’re also a glimpse at humanity’s genetic past. Scientists estimate that between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, the eye color of all Homo sapiens individuals was brown — likely an evolutionary advantage, as the melanin pigment offers some protection from UV radiation. But then, something changed. Sometime during the Neolithic expansion in Europe, an individual was born with a mutation to the OCA2 gene. This gene code controls melanin production in the iris, and the mutation caused this person’s eyes to turn blue rather than the usual brown. Because blue eyes can only form as a result of this mutation, scientists theorize that all blue-eyed people — about 10% of the world population — are a relative of this original lone blue-eyed ancestor. Strangely, this mutation doesn’t actually turn your eyes blue — in fact, blue eyes are technically not blue at all. The eye’s iris is predominantly made up of two layers: the stroma and the epithelium. Brown eyes have a brown-black melanin pigment in both these layers (though the stroma absorbs the most light), which produces the color brown. Blue eyes, on the other hand, have no melanin pigment in the stroma; in fact, blue eyes have no pigment at all. Instead, they are a reflection of white light in a process called the Tyndall effect. Because blue wavelengths of light are the shortest, they are reflected the most by the fibers in the eyes, which absorb the longer red-orange wavelengths. This bit of complicated optics is similar to how the atmosphere reflects sunlight, turning the sky (and the ocean) a dazzling blue. So while the overall effect is that people have “blue” eyes, from a pigment perspective, the truth is that they really don’t have any color at all. Humans are less genetically diverse than other primates. Humans are the least genetically diverse among the great apes. This means that we’re a relatively young species, as enough time hasn’t passed for mutations to accumulate (200,000 years is a geologic blink of an eye). It also means that Homo sapiens likely sprung from a surprisingly small population — around just 10,000 breeding pairs or so. This may be because early humans appear to have survived two genetic bottlenecks while exiting Africa, both of which caused the population to plummet. One theory suggests humans almost went extinct 74,000 years ago due to a massive volcanic eruption, but other studies question if that “eruption” was actually an epidemic. Usually, this low diversity can make it tougher for animals to adapt to climatic changes. Fortunately, what humans lack in genetic brawn, we make up for with our incredibly complex brains. Source: All blue-eyed people likely descended from a single ancestor.

What's the Word: NOBBY pronunciation: [NAH-bee] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Unknown, late 17th century Meaning: 1. Describing a person of wealth or high social position. Examples: "When he wasn’t saving lives as Batman, Bruce Wayne lived a nobby lifestyle as a socialite." "It doesn’t matter if the rental car is a nobby convertible or a family minivan — I’ll be happy either way." About Nobby The closest guess is that “nobby” developed by way of the Scottish word “knab” (meaning “a person of importance”) as slang for high society. Did you Know? Don’t mix these homophones up. “Knobby” is an adjective that describes something that has a lot of knobs — such as a pilot’s switchboard or an old branch. “Nobby” is an adjective that specifically describes a wealthy person or one who has a high social position. Both are adjectives, but each possesses a different meaning.

Fact of the Day - ELEPHANTS CAN POINT Did you know.... Among many other astounding capabilities, elephants inherently understand what pointing means. In fact, research suggests they’re among a few animals that understand the action without being trained by humans. A two-month study of 11 pachyderms in Zimbabwe used two buckets, one with fruit in it and one without, to determine whether elephants could understand which was which. A researcher standing between the two buckets used her arm to point toward the bucket of food, and the elephants successfully chose the bucket the researcher pointed toward 67% of the time. The study was led by Richard Byrne, a professor at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, who told The Guardian, “Elephant society may have selected for an ability to understand when others are trying to communicate with them, and they are thus able to work out what pointing is about when they see it.” Elephants have exceptionally high emotional intelligence, and communication is key to both their social bonds and survival, which may explain why they’re able to understand this gesture most animals are unable to grasp. Byrne has suggested whales and dolphins as other animals that could feasibly understand pointing, though there’s a major hurdle in finding out whether or not that theory holds water: They’re much more difficult to work with than elephants. Elephant tusks are teeth. Elephant tusks are made of dentine and wrapped in enamel, which is another way of saying that they’re teeth. Deeply rooted but obviously protruding far beyond the mouth, they’re elongated incisors that never stop growing. More layers of ivory are formed as the tusks continue to grow, with each new layer replacing the prior one. While the tusks are solid at the tip, they become more hollow the closer they get to the elephant’s head. They’re also highly sensitive, meaning it’s extremely painful when they’re removed. Source: Elephants can inherently understand pointing (without human training).

What's the Word: FLIVVER pronunciation: [FLIH-vər] Part of speech: noun Origin: Unknown, early 20th century Meaning: 1. A cheap car or aircraft, especially one in bad condition. Examples: "My dad is so frugal, he refuses to give up his flivver until it can't be driven." "It may look like a flivver, but that car served me well through my 20s." About Flivver While we know that this word developed in the early 20th century, when odd nicknames for vehicles first began popping up, its exact origins are unknown. Did you Know? Just because a car is old doesn't mean that it is also a flivver. If you're looking for a used car, it's a good idea to take along your mechanic or automotive-minded friend to check it out and make sure it is good quality.

Fact of the Day - SHELLS Did you know.... Regardless of where you find them — be it on a beach, along a riverbank, or in a garden — most shells share a common feature: 90% of them coil clockwise and open to the right. Mollusk shells with these right-oriented openings are called “dextral,” while those with left-leaning apertures are designated “sinistral.” (These terms can be applied to right- and left-handed humans, too; remarkably, left-handedness occurs in shells and humans at similar rates, with an estimated 10% to 12% of people worldwide being lefties.) Some marine life experts believe that just one gene impacts the direction a shell will coil. The rarity of sinistral shells has created a high-priced market for them — they’re so sought-after among collectors that unscrupulous dealers have been known to peddle counterfeits. However, a few species of marine mollusks are predominantly sinistral. The most commonly known is the lightning whelk, a sea snail found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Recognizable by their tapering brown, orange, and cream-colored shells, lightning whelks spend most of their lives submerged in underwater grass beds and at the bottoms of bays, feasting on clams and oysters. Some lighting whelks have reached record lengths of 16 inches — and most of these whoppers have openings pointing toward the left. Pearls are the only gems created by an animal. Beyond being a decadent dish, oysters are best known for their glamorous byproduct: pearls. While pearls are the only gemstone created by a living creature, oysters aren’t the sole producer of these underwater jewels. All other mollusks can technically make pearls, as can some gastropods (aka sea snails, which produce rare melo pearls). The special spheres are formed thanks to an oyster’s natural defense against lodged pieces of food or parasites, which trigger the animal to surround the irritant in layers of aragonite and conchiolin — the same substances that make up shells. These layers create a material called nacre (better known as mother-of-pearl), which has the smooth, opalescent sheen for which pearls are beloved. Source: Nine out of 10 shells open to the right.

What's the Word: PUERPERAL pronunciation: [pyoo-ER-per-əl] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, early 18th century Meaning: 1. During or relating to the period of about six weeks after childbirth during which the mother's reproductive organs return to their original nonpregnant condition. Examples: "Therese and her baby had a lot of support during the puerperal period." "The OB/GYN instructed the couple to check in often during the puerperal period." About Puerperal Puerperal comes from the Latin words "puer" ("child") and "para" ("bearing") — translating to "woman who has given birth." Did you Know? The six weeks following childbirth, aka the puerperal period, are important for both parents to bond with their baby and recover. For this reason, many countries offer paid maternal and paternal leave for a minimum of six weeks. Some countries, such as New Zealand, offer 18 weeks or more.

Fact of the Day - LOVE SEATS Did you know.... The two-seater upholstered benches we associate with cozy couples were initially crafted with another duo in mind: a woman and her dress. Fashionable attire in 18th-century Europe had reached voluminous proportions; panniers (a type of hooped undergarment) were all the rage, creating a wide-hipped silhouette that occasionally required wearers to pass through doors sideways. Not all women wore such full skirts; some historians believe the average woman of modest means owned a mere four dresses with narrower profiles meant for everyday work. But upper-class women with funds to spare on trending styles adopted billowing silhouettes that often caused an exhausting situation: the inability to sit down comfortably (or at all). Ever astute, furniture makers of the period caught on to the need for upsized seats that would allow women with such large gowns a moment of respite during social calls. As the 1800s rolled around, so did new dress trends. Women began shedding heavy layers of hoops and skirts for a slimmed-down silhouette that suddenly made small settees spacious. The midsize seats could now fit a conversation companion; some S-shaped versions were called the “gossip bench.” But when sweethearts began sitting side-by-side, the bench seats were renamed “love seats,” indicative of how courting couples could sit together for a (relatively) private conversation in public. The seat’s new use rocketed it to popularity, with some featuring frames that physically divided young paramours. While the small sofas no longer act as upholstered chaperones, love seats are just as popular today — but mostly because they fit well in small homes and apartments. The “world’s most expensive love seat” is actually a computer. The small computers and phones we carry in our bags and pockets are descendants of the monstrously large supercomputers of the ’60s and ’70s — some of which provided their own seating. Originally designed to process data and crunch numbers at superfast speeds, supercomputers were known for dominating floor space and budgets. One standout — the Cray-1A — debuted in 1976 and was quickly nicknamed the “world’s most expensive love seat” thanks to its 39-square-foot column shape with surrounding bench seating. Considered the fastest supercomputer in the world until 1982, the Cray-1A came with a hefty price tag: $8 million, plus a monthly operating cost of nearly $100,000. Source: Love seats were originally designed to fit women’s dresses, not couples.

What's the Word: KVELL pronunciation: [fliCH] Part of speech: verb Origin: Yiddish, 1960s Meaning: 1. Feel happy and proud. Examples: "The best part of award shows is seeing recipients’ families kvelling over their success." "Even as conversations quieted, the winning team continued to kvell over their victory." About Kvell “Kvell” comes from the Yiddish word “kveln,” a word that developed from the Middle High German term “quellen” (meaning “to well up”). Did you Know? Yiddish has given us a wealth of words that we use in our everyday lives. Besides “kvell,” we also have the word “schtick” (a comedic routine), “klutz” (a clumsy person), and “bupkis” (nothing), among many others.

Fact of the Day - FROG OR RABBIT Did you know.... Ever since early humans first stared at the night sky, the moon has played a starring role in stories and folklore. Personified by gods and goddesses such as the Greek Selene, Roman Luna, Chinese Chang’e, and Hindu Chandra, the moon takes various shapes depending on who’s doing the looking. Many Western cultures see a man’s face in the moon, with his misshapen eyes, nose, and mouth formed from the dark lunar “seas” — actually vast hardened lava plains — on the moon’s near side. Others see a whole male figure, with stories from Germany and elsewhere telling of a man banished to the moon for chopping wood on the Sabbath. Some cultures don’t see a man at all, but instead a woman, like the New Zealand Maori legend of Rona, the moon’s maiden. In Angola, a tale tells of a frog in the moon. In a Chinese tale, the goddess Chang’e flees to the moon, where she is turned into a toad; according to the myth, she and her rabbit, Yutu, can be seen on the moon’s surface creating the elixir of immortality with a mortar and pestle. Many of these tales are thousands of years old, but some remain alive and well to this day. In 2019, China landed the world’s first spacecraft and lunar rover on the far side of the moon; their names were Chang’e-4 and Yutu-2. One of the first mainstream pregnancy tests used live frogs. In sub-Saharan Africa there lives an abundant amphibian called the African clawed frog, or Xenopus laevis. It looks like other frogs, but the females have a special ability — when injected with certain hormones, they begin laying eggs within 12 hours. This strange power was discovered by British zoologist Lancelot Hogben in 1930. Once he witnessed the egg-laying results while experimenting with ox hormones, Hogben wondered if the frogs would lay eggs if injected with urine containing similar hormones from pregnant women. The results were surprisingly reliable, and between the 1940s and 1960s, tens of thousands of Xenopus frogs were injected with urine sent by doctors to special frog labs. The “Hogben test” made pregnancy testing much faster and more widely available than it had been previously; the tests didn’t kill the frogs, so labs could keep colonies on hand and reuse them. In the 1970s, Xenopus laevis was replaced by at-home tests that directly detected the hormone chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a telltale sign of pregnancy and the same hormone that caused the frogs to ovulate. But the African clawed frog’s career in the sciences wasn’t over, for better or for worse. With large populations of the animals already available for research, they ended up contributing in other fields: The first animal gene ever cloned belonged to a Xenopus, and four even took a ride on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992, which tested the frogs’ ability to reproduce in space. (They did just fine.) Source: Some cultures see a frog (or a rabbit) on the moon.

What's the Word: FLITCH pronunciation: [fliCH] Part of speech: noun Origin: Old English, unknown Meaning: 1. A slab of timber cut from a tree trunk, usually from the outside. 2. A side of bacon. Examples: "Landon cut several flitches of wood to add to the fire." "I love having a flitch with my eggs and toast." About Flitch The word "flitch" developed from the Middle English word "flicce" (which was the salted and cured side of any meat product), but originally came from German. Did you Know? While enjoying eggs with a flitch seems timeless, bacon as part of a hearty breakfast is less than a century old and the result of really good PR. To sell more pork products, one company reached out to doctors, asking them to cosign the idea that a heavier breakfast is a healthier one. The rest is history.

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Fact of the Day - WHY A CRUSH? Did you know.... A peek at how a word for infatuation worked its way into hearts—and the English language. There’s nothing quite like a crush to make you feel like a kid again, no matter your age. The thrill of secret glances, handwritten love letters, or, these days, simply “liking” someone’s Instagram story. But the word “crush” didn’t start out so innocent. Originally, it simply meant to squash or smash something until it changed shape or was destroyed entirely. Somehow, we went from literal destruction to puppy love, and the word stuck. The Modern Crush Before the word “crush” took on its romantic meaning, people still felt that unmistakable flutter of affection—the kind of feeling that didn’t really need a name. Today, Merriam-Webster defines a crush as “an intense and usually passing infatuation,” perfectly capturing that mix of excitement, longing, and awkward giddiness. You know, those butterflies-inducing moments that make your mind go blank and maybe even convince you to hit the gym a little harder. Crush Crash Course Like many love-adjacent words, “crush” traces back to French. In the 14th century, it grew out of the Old French verb croissir, meaning to smash or break something, usually with a loud crash. Not exactly romantic. For centuries, “crush” in English retained that definition of compression and destruction. By the 1500s, it also described people crowding together. Things got interesting in the 1880s. The shift from smash to swoon seems to hinge on "mash"—and no, not the fortune-telling game, but the actual word, which gradually evolved into the idea of a softer, more emotional kind of “crush.” In late‑19th‑century American slang, “mash” referred to an intense infatuation or the object of one’s affection, and “to mash” someone basically meant to flirt. By 1875, a “masher” was a guy making bold (sometimes unwelcome) passes at women, though by the 1880s, “mash” and “masher” had softened into something more romantic. Since “mash” already had a rose-colored connotation—and shared the literal “pressing” sense with “crush”—some etymologists, like Eric Partridge, think “crush” may have stepped in as a snappier cousin, describing that same fluttery feeling. It’s easy to see why the literal meaning of “crush” fits so well with romantic infatuation: after all, a crush can feel like your heart is literally being squished under a ton of emotions. Sudden, intense, sometimes unrequited—that all-consuming chaos mirrors the pressure implied in the word “crush”, making it a perfect way to describe first loves, secret admirations, and that stranger at work who may or may not be your soulmate. Crush in Culture Around the same time it was spreading by word of mouth, “crush” started appearing in print with its romantic meaning. One of the earliest examples comes from Isabella Maud Rittenhouse’s 1884 journal, where she writes about a girl named Wintie, heartbroken over her crush: “Wintie is weeping because her crush is gone.” By the 1890s, writers were using “crush” to describe the feeling itself, not just the person inspiring it. In 1895, John Seymour Wood’s Yale Yarns even mentions a mutual crush: “It was a 'crush,' you see, on both sides.” Today, having a crush is almost as much a rite of passage as losing your first tooth. The word pops up everywhere in pop culture—from magazine quizzes decoding what your celebrity crush might say about you to articles decoding the subtle signs your crush likes you. Movies, TV shows, and romance novels practically run on crushes, too: just look at classic teen rom‑coms like Flipped and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, where the whole story hinges on instant attraction. Social media hasn’t slowed the trend; Instagram likes, heart emojis, and DMs are just the latest ways we subtly signal our infatuations. Through it all, crush keeps its playful, almost childlike charm: a silly bit of slang that makes you stammer, stumble, and maybe even blush. Source: Why Do We Call It a “Crush”?

What's the Word: RUMBA pronunciation: [rəm-bə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin American Spanish, 1920s Meaning: 1. A rhythmic dance with Spanish and African elements, originating in Cuba. 2. A ballroom dance imitative of the rumba. Examples: "The final matchup in the dance competition came down to the rumba." "We took a rumba class on our vacation to Cuba." About Rumba The traditional rumba dance combines Spanish and African elements, but the creation is uniquely Cuban. The term "rumba" can be used to describe the music that accompanies the dance, also with percussive African influences. Whether it's the dance or the song, the rumba will get your feet and body moving. Did you Know? The ballroom dance style is often spelled "rhumba" to distinguish it from the traditional Cuban dance. In ballroom dance competitions there are five Latin dances: samba, jive, cha-cha-cha, pasodoble, and the slowest, rhumba. Outside of the competition circuit, Latin dances are sometimes lumped together under the term "salsa."

Fact of the Day - FEMUR Did you know.... The world’s most important pieces of infrastructure are overbuilt with safety in mind. New bridges can handle stresses far beyond what they’d ever experience, and airplanes are similarly designed with redundancies. But it turns out that this engineering principle is ripped straight from the biology playbook: The human body also has a few overengineered parts just to be safe. Nowhere is this more obvious than the femur, the body’s largest bone, located between the hip and knee. The femur is more than up for its job, as it’s capable of holding up to 30 times your body weight, or roughly 6,000 pounds (though the exact weight depends on the person and age). Named from the Latin for “thigh,” the femur has many important functions beyond just holding your weight. The femur stabilizes you as you walk, connects muscles and tendons from your hips and knees to the rest of your body, and also plays a vital role in blood circulation via the femoral vein (named after the femur). Because the femur can withstand so much weight, fracturing the bone is usually only possible during extreme trauma events, such as a car crash. Breaking a femur can be particularly life-threatening because it can lead to blood clots, but luckily, most injuries can be repaired with surgery and physical therapy. So the next time you’re struggling to backpack up a mountain or just carrying a heavy box up some stairs, don’t worry — you’re (over)built for this. Your funny bone is not a bone. The term “funny bone” is quite an impressive misnomer. For one thing, the shooting pain that results from hitting it is not particularly funny, but also, this body part is not a bone. Whenever you smack your elbow against something, you’re actually hitting the ulnar nerve and not the knobby end of the humerus bone (which is where the “funny” bone derives its name — get it?). Although nerves are usually protected by muscle, fat, and bone, the ulnar nerve in the elbow is a rare exception. When you hit your funny bone, you’re actually pressing the ulnar nerve against the medial epicondyle bone at the end of the humerus, which sends a shooting pain along the nerve. Because the nerve runs up the arm and terminates in the pinky and ring finger, that’s the area particularly affected by that familiar tingly, not-so-funny sensation. Source: Your femur can support 30 times the weight of your body.

What's the Word: PINNIPED pronunciation: [PIN-ə-ped] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 19th century Meaning: 1. A carnivorous aquatic mammal of the order Pinnipedia, such as a seal or walrus. Examples: "Seals, sea lions, and walruses are all pinnipeds — carnivorous mammals who live in the water." "Billy thinks all types of pinnipeds are adorable, even though he knows they can be dangerous." About Pinniped “Pinniped” was coined in the early 19th century by combining the suffix “-ped,” meaning “foot,” with the prefix “pinni-,” which refers to fins. From this, zoologists derived the biological suborder Pinnipedia, consisting of 34 species of seals, walruses, and sea lions. Did you Know? The Pinnipedia suborder of animal describes carnivorous aquatic mammals, but the term “pinniped” was once used to describe any creature whose feet were like fins — meaning seals, sea lions, and walruses, but also certain crabs, birds, and sea slugs.

Fact of the Day - AIR HORSE ONE Did you know.... Just because horses are fast doesn’t mean they’re easy to transport. Often weighing more than 1,000 pounds and not exactly quick to do things they aren’t inclined to, our equine friends nevertheless often need to be brought from point A to point B. Lucky, then, that there’s a plane dedicated to ferrying horses known as (what else?) Air Horse One. Owned and operated by Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation, it’s a Boeing 727-200 cargo aircraft used for race horses, show horses, and other VIP clients. As such, tickets don't run cheap — one-way trips can set you back $5,000. It would appear to be worth it, however. Everything about the trip in general and the plane in particular is tailored to its passengers’ needs, from custom-built ramps and padded stalls to smooth rides that avoid steep ascents, descents, and adverse weather conditions. Air Horse One also focuses on direct flights to shorten travel times, since Appaloosas and Clydesdales dislike layovers as much as the rest of us. (No word on whether they’re served peanuts and drinks, however.) In lieu of carry-on bags, some horses even get to bring along “pets,” such as goats, to keep them company. We should all be so lucky. There are no truly wild horses left. Though an idiosyncratic, strangely adorable breed called Przewalski’s horse was long thought to be the last remaining wild horse, DNA tests recently proved that, like other “wild” equines, they’re actually feral. The difference? A wild breed is one that has never been domesticated, whereas feral horses are descendants of domesticated breeds that later returned to the wild. According to Sandra Olsen, a University of Kansas zooarchaeologist who worked on the study, there haven’t been wild horses for quite some time: “The world lost truly wild horses perhaps hundreds, if not thousands of years ago,” she said, “but we are only just now learning this fact, with the results of this research.” Source: There is a dedicated airplane for transporting horses called Air Horse One.

What's the Word: MUDLARK pronunciation: [MUD-lark] Part of speech: noun Origin: English, 18th century Meaning: 1. A person who scavenges in river mud for objects of value. 2. (Historical) A street urchin. Examples: "Wendall wanted to be a modern mudlark." "Milton found many accounts of mudlark life in the London Library." About Mudlark The first published use of the word was in 1785 as a slang term meaning “a hog.” Its origin may have been a humorous variation on “skylark.” By 1796, the word was also being used to describe “Men and boys … who prowl about, and watch under the ships when the tide will permit.” Did you Know? Mudlarks made a living in London in the 18th and 19th centuries by scouring the muddy shores of the River Thames for anything and everything that could be sold to eke out a living. This could include pilfering from river traffic. Modern mudlarks have sometimes recovered objects of archaeological value from the river’s shores. These are either recorded as treasure under the Treasure Act of 1996 or submitted for analysis and review under the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Fact of the Day - 57, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Did you know.... The Heinz ketchup bottle is an iconic piece of packaging and design. Whether large or small, made of glass or plastic, the bottle is instantly recognizable on tables and shelves throughout much of the world. And if you’ve ever looked closely at one of those bottles, you’ll likely have noticed a certain number prominently embossed on the glass or printed on the label: 57. You may have sat there, waiting for your burger to arrive, wondering about the significance of that particular number. Does Heinz make exactly 57 products and is ketchup the 57th? Does the ketchup contain 57 secret ingredients? Or do the digits refer to something else entirely? The truth behind this peculiar number is an intriguing combination of creative inspiration, savvy marketing, and numerical superstition. Let’s uncap this mystery together. A Magic Number The history of Heinz began in earnest in 1869, when 25-year-old Henry J. Heinz created his first product, a high-quality grated horseradish based on his mother’s recipe. The business expanded, eventually leading to the birth of what became the company’s flagship product: Heinz tomato ketchup. The now-legendary sauce first appeared on U.S. shelves in 1876 — but those early bottles didn’t feature the number 57. According to the Heinz History Center (an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution), the origins of the Heinz 57 trademark go back to 1896, when H.J. Heinz saw a sign advertising “21 styles of shoes” while riding an elevated train in New York City. The intriguing effect of the advertisement struck Heinz immediately. He realized advertising a specific number of product varieties gave weight to a brand; it sounded substantial and impressive, giving customers a sense of abundance and expertise. At that moment, Heinz decided his company needed its own magic number — and “57 varieties” was born. Why 57? At the time Heinz had his numerical eureka moment, his company was producing more than 60 products, ranging from plum pudding to olive oil and peanut butter. He could have tallied up the total number of Heinz varieties and chosen the actual, literal number of products, but he went with 57 instead — partly because he liked the way it looked and sounded. There was also a certain amount of superstition involved: He later revealed that five was his lucky number and seven was his wife’s. Firmly set on 57, Heinz didn’t hesitate to fully incorporate the number into the brand. He put “57” and “57 varieties” everywhere: on bottles, delivery wagons, buildings, and billboards across the country. The number even appeared in large numerals etched into hillsides. Having originally started as an idea plucked from almost nowhere during a routine train ride, 57 went on to dominate the company’s labels and advertising strategy for decades. Even as Heinz expanded to hundreds of products, the company never abandoned its signature number and the mythical yet sweet-sounding “57 varieties” tagline that can still be found on Heinz bottles today. Source: What Does the ‘57’ Mean on Heinz Ketchup Bottles?

What's the Word: FETTLE pronunciation: [fedl] Part of speech: noun Origin: Late Middle English, 1300s Meaning: 1. Condition. Examples: "Despite being over a decade old, the biplane remained in fine fettle." "Mark had experience with repairing manual vehicles from keeping his own vintage cars in good fettle." About Fettle While the word "fettle" developed as a verb meaning "to prepare oneself or get ready" in Late Middle English, it originated from the Old English word "fetel" (referring to a strip of material) and the Germanic word "fessel" (meaning "chain, band"). In English, it can still be used as a verb meaning "to make or repair" or in a specific pottery usage, but its most common usage is as a noun, meaning "condition." It's often paired idiomatically with "fine," as in "fine fettle." Did you Know? Old vehicles displayed in museums and in classic car shows may seem to naturally remain in fine fettle, but a lot of care goes into maintaining their condition. A vintage Mustang or classic roadster can't go to just any mechanic. People who make classic cars their hobby either learn the skills to maintain the vehicles themselves, or pay an expert in the specific model of car to keep it in good fettle.

Fact of the Day - KISS AND CRY Did you know.... Breaking down the history of the popular term. Figure skating has been part of the Olympic Games for over 100 years, having been first added to the official roster of sports way back in 1908. Later, when the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924, the sport shifted from the regular Summer Olympics to the new Winter competition and has remained a Winter Olympic discipline ever since. (In fact, alongside cross-country skiing, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating, figure skating is one of just six sports to have been contested at every Winter Olympic Games in history.) The Meaning and Origins of the “Kiss and Cry” If you’re a fan of the figure skating competition, though, chances are you’ll be familiar with the expression “kiss and cry”—which, despite the sport’s long and storied history, has apparently only been a part of figure skating vocabulary since the early 1980s. According to legend, the term “kiss and cry” was first coined in 1983 by the Finnish figure skating judge Jane Erkko, who used it to refer to the seated corner of the ice skating rink where competitors who have just finished their performance wait, often with their coaches or coaching team, to find out the judges’ scores. The name “kiss and cry” ultimately refers to the competitors’ post-performance show of emotion, kissing and crying with relief, or else to their typical reactions to their feedback—kisses all round and tears of happiness for successful performances (or tears of sadness for the less well-received displays). Jane Erkko was subsequently involved in the committee that oversaw the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland, in 1983, and it seems this was the catalyst that saw her jokey term for the “kiss and cry corner” of the ice fall into wider use among the figure skating community. The television production team involved in broadcasting the competition that year began using it in their planning of camera placements around the ice, and this quiet, nerve-shredding corner of the ice rink has been known by this name ever since—and is even referred to as such in the official literature of the International Skating Union’s rules and constitution. The 2026 Winter Olympics, hosted by two cities for the first time, Milan and Cortina, Italy, are now taking place, running throughout the month until February 22. Brush up on common figure skating terms with our guide here, and learn more about the locations here. Source: What Is the “Kiss and Cry” in Olympic Figure Skating?

What's the Word: NODUS pronunciation: [NO-dəs] Part of speech: noun Origin: Late Middle English, late 14th century Meaning: 1. A problem, difficulty, or complication. Examples: "The team hadn’t expected to encounter a nodus this early in the project." "Despite the nodus of the car not starting, they both managed to get to work on time." About Nodus Nodus developed in Late Middle English as a way to describe a knotty swelling; it originated in Latin as the literal translation for "knot." Over time, it evolved to describe a knotty problem or conundrum. Did you Know? Escape rooms are a novel way to spend some time with friends. You’ll be locked in a room filled with puzzles and clues and must solve each nodus within a set period of time to win.

Fact of the Day - SLEEPWALK Did you know.... If you’ve ever woken up to find the kitchen lights inexplicably on or been told you held a full conversation in the middle of the night with no memory of it, you’re not alone. Sleepwalking — also known as somnambulism — has fascinated and frightened people for generations. To anyone watching, this phenomenon can seem unsettling or even supernatural. But sleepwalking is simply a glitch in the brain’s normal sleep controls. Even at rest, the brain manages multiple systems at once. Every so often those systems fall slightly out of sync, and the body takes a nighttime stroll while the mind remains deeply asleep. Although it’s most common in children, sleepwalking can happen at any age. Researchers have spent decades trying to understand why the sleeping brain sometimes allows the body to move around without conscious awareness. The answer lies in how sleep works, how the brain transitions between stages, and what can interrupt those transitions in subtle ways. It Happens During Deep Sleep Many people assume sleepwalking is caused by acting out dreams, but sleepwalking occurs during non-REM sleep, the deepest and most restorative phase of the sleep cycle, usually within the first couple of hours after falling asleep. Most of your dreaming, especially your vivid, narrative-driven dreams, take place during REM sleep. In non-REM sleep, brain waves slow dramatically. The body is meant to be still, breathing is steady, and awareness of the outside world is almost completely shut down. The brain uses that time to repair tissues, consolidate memory, and restore energy. Sleepwalking happens when the brain partially wakes from this deep state but doesn’t fully transition into alertness. The motor centers switch “on” before the thinking and reasoning parts of the brain catch up. As a result, a person can move, walk, or perform routine actions without conscious control. The Brain Is Stuck Between Sleep and Wakefulness Scientists describe sleepwalking as a disorder of arousal; the brain attempts to wake but gets trapped halfway. The parts responsible for movement become active while the areas governing judgment, awareness, and memory remain asleep. That explains both the wandering behavior and why sleepwalkers almost never remember what happened during their sleepwalking episodes — the brain never fully “records” the event. Brain imaging shows that during episodes, the frontal lobe (the areas that manage decision-making and self-control) remain largely inactive. Meanwhile, deeper brain regions tied to habit and motion are active enough to get the body moving. It’s like a computer booting only halfway: The system is running, but critical controls haven’t loaded. Because the conscious brain is still offline, trying to wake a sleepwalker suddenly can be confusing or even startling for them. They may look disoriented or frightened because their frontal lobe is being abruptly activated, forcing the brain into wakefulness before its decision-making and self-control systems have fully come online. Genetics Plays a Role Sleepwalking often runs (or walks?) in families. If one parent has a history of sleepwalking, their child is far more likely to do so. If both parents have a history, the odds increase even more dramatically. Researchers believe certain inherited traits affect how easily the brain shifts between sleep stages. Some people, for example, simply have a higher threshold for waking: their brains resist full arousal, which makes partial awakenings more likely. Instead of fully waking or staying asleep, they drift into that curious middle ground. Genetics also affects how deeply a person sleeps. Those prone to sleepwalking tend to spend more time in slow-wave sleep — the stage where episodes originate. For many sleepwalkers, this tendency is built right into their neurological wiring. Certain Triggers Can Spark Episodes Even in people who are genetically predisposed, sleepwalking usually needs a trigger. Anything that disrupts deep sleep or causes sudden arousal can increase the chances of an episode. Common triggers include sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, fever or illness, irregular sleep schedules, certain medications, alcohol before bed, or sleep disturbances. When the brain is pushed into deeper-than-normal sleep — often after exhaustion — it can struggle to wake cleanly. Instead, it can misfire and activate the body while awareness lags behind. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea can also increase episodes of sleepwalking. Repeated interruptions in breathing jolt the brain out of deep sleep again and again, creating more opportunities for incomplete awakenings. Sleepwalking Is Common — And Usually Benign About one in three children will sleepwalk at least once, and most outgrow it as the brain matures and sleep patterns become more stable. It’s less common in adults, though it still affects millions worldwide. Many episodes are mild — sitting up, mumbling, or briefly wandering — though some people are able to carry out surprisingly complex behaviors. Sleepwalking is part of a larger group of sleep-related behaviors called parasomnias, conditions in which elements of sleep and wakefulness overlap. Non-REM parasomnias include talking in your sleep, night terrors, and confusional arousals (brief partial awakenings from deep sleep in which a person appears awake but feels confused or disoriented before falling back to sleep). Nightmares are also classified as parasomnias, though they occur during REM sleep and involve vivid dreaming rather than physical movement. Together, those disorders show how the brain can become active in unusual ways while the body is still technically asleep. Occasional sleepwalking is usually harmless and demonstrates how complex sleep really is. So if you’ve ever found signs of a nighttime adventure you can’t recall, it typically isn’t something to fear. It’s simply the brain at work, juggling rest, repair, and awareness — and sometimes those systems can fall slightly out of sync. Source: Why Do People Sleepwalk?

What's the Word: SHEEPSHANK pronunciation: [SHEEP-shangk] Part of speech: noun Origin: Unknown, mid-17th century Meaning: 1. A kind of knot used to shorten a rope temporarily. Examples: "Killian was glad he remembered how to tie a sheepshank from his Boy Scout days." "The sailor quickly tied some sheepshanks to keep the rope out of the way." About Sheepshank While we know that this noun first originated in the 17th century as a type of temporary knot used to shorten a rope quickly, its literal origins are largely unknown. Did you Know? A sheepshank is a knot that can quickly be tied to take up slack on a rope. It’s not very stable, so it shouldn’t be used in situations that require a secure hold.

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